Hillary Bonner

Hi! I’m Hillary Bonner. I’ve been on St. John for 8 years and have worn A LOT of hats in my time on island. Most of us do tho…A lot of times island life calls for ingenuity, flexibility and resiliency. And those things are what I kind of LOVE about the people in our Love City Community. Between boat days and day hikes and happy hours with so many happy faces, you may have seen me behind the bar at Asolare, Zozo’s, The Terrace or Drink (once upon a time, Motu) over the years. But after Hurricane Irma, I jumped from behind the bar into non-profit work. That desk job made me remember that, way back when, I DID go to college and I might have been letting some of those skill sets get a BIT rusty. My degree is in Journalism and Public Relations. When asked if I ever used it, my programmed response was, “Bar tending IS relating to the public.” But, back to the desk job…I was doing everything. Which is, again, what you do in a small office on an island. Events, marketing, handling in-kind donations, unloading containers, attempting to figure out logistics I didn’t even know how to spell, community meetings, board meetings, FEMA meetings. All of the meetings. One day, I decided that there were aspects I loved. And aspects…Well, not so much. So I started my own thing, supporting local small businesses and non-profits in the realm of design, marketing and events (specifically music related events…you’ll hear a lot about music from me). I have a bleeding heart for the small yet ambitious non-profits on St. John. And an overwhelming amount of respect for the small business owners who made their ideas take flight in a place where it’s very difficult to do so! I love life here on St. John. The highs are the highest and the lows are not so low as they can be in other places. The accessibility to Mother Nature on this little slice of perfection is unparalleled. She’s all around us all of the time. You can watch the phases of the moon, the rotation of the planets, the shifting of the sunset and the tides. Every damn day. Mother Nature’s restless spirit reflects the transient nature of the people here as well. That was hard for me at first. The coming and the going. But now, I like the fact that I will rarely visit a place that I don’t have a place to stay and a friend to catch up with from St. John. So, now, here I am (using my degree, Ma!). Contributing to a long standing super positive blog. Here I feel like I’m in a position to use my voice to entertain and inform you about the community and island that I love so much. I’m grateful for this opportunity and am ALWAYS open to story ideas! Let me know what, where or who you want to hear about!

Love City Holiday Happenings!

December 8, 2022December 2, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

The holiday season is finally upon us! Cue up that Mariah Carey album and play in the snow…Er, I mean sand? 🙂 December is my absolute favorite month of the year here in Love City. The weather is perfect, the crowds are light (until Christmas) and the winds are starting to pick up which makes for GREAT sailing weather! Oh, and the events on St. John during the holiday time are the absolute BEST. From the Bizarre Bazaar that encapsulates the absolute unique nature of Coral Bay to the ugly sweater party at the Tap Room to The All-Island Holiday Party (St. John Prom) which is making an incredible comeback this year after a two-year hiatus…The opportunities to share in the holiday cheer in a very St. John centric way abound during this first month of our busy season. Oh, and the best part of all of it? If you need a recovery day after one of these holiday shindigs, the beach is stumbling distance away 😉

St. John Funk Band and Recording Studio Celebrate Inaugural Album

December 1, 2022December 1, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Happy Thursday everyone! When Mother Goat reached out to me earlier this week to ask about a write up for their album launch party this weekend, I immediately said yes. Because I’ll take any opportunity to support our small, yet incredibly homegrown and talented, music scene on St. John. But as I asked questions about their recording process at a new studio in Coral Bay, I became more and more intrigued. Wait…There’s a recording studio ON St. John?!? You learn something new every day right?

Well, I thought this story was so much more than their album release party (tomorrow night!)…It’s all very remniscent of Love City. It’s about a St. John based band recording their very first studio album. And a new recording studio on island that marks Mother Goat’s Circus in the Cistern album as their first completed project on St. John! Oh, and there’s a bit about the true effectiveness of the Cocount Telegraph in here as well 🙂

Lovango Resort + Beach Club Sneak Peeks!

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! We are getting into that time of year where the holiday crowds will be rolling in soon and everything is opening up! A few weeks ago, Teddy and I went out to Lovango Resort + Beach Club for an afternoon to tour the grounds with Operations Director, Matt Snider, in order to see what new experiences the beach club and resort on Lovango Cay will have to offer this season. I have to say, I’m once again pretty freaking excited to watch it all unfold. And I am once again impressed at Matt and his staffs’ uncanny ability to, not only listen to the guests and community partners, but also implement the relevant changes and updates! This season is going to be the best one yet at Lovango Resort + Beach Club…Quite simply because there is absolutely something for everyone!

Business Spotlight: On The Sea to STT Will Cure Your Last Day Blues!

December 24, 2022November 29, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning everyone! I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about the boating opportunity that I’m about to share with you. I absolutely love this grass roots, two boat company, On the Sea Charters, and the owner, Ryan Matthews. And I have very much enjoyed watching him build this business over the years and put in the hard work to make an immense success of himself here in Love City. And, in addition to all of their trip options, the new excursion that he has dreamed up is absolutely guaranteed to wash your last day on STJ blues away and leave you with a grand finale that will keep a smile on your face long after your flight departs.

Just in Time for the Holidays: St. Johnopoly is Ready to Ship!

November 28, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Happy Cyber Monday to you all! Anyone else out there getting absolutely inundated with texts and emails about deals on the world wide web today? Me too! LOL. If you’re having trouble making a decision about which direction to go for holiday gift giving, let me help you out. The Fourth Edition of St. Johnopoly is now ready to go! To those of you who pre-ordered your games, they are already en route to you! If you haven’t yet ordered a copy of everyone’s favorite island-style board game, there is still time for a guaranteed holiday delivery.

Wandering Manatee Sighted in the Virgin Islands

November 23, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Yes, you read that right! A freaking MANATEE has been sighted in the waters surrounding the BVI, Lovango Cay and Fish Bay area of St. John! Can you believe that!? Probably not…And this is why. Manatees tend to habituate in areas with brackish water because most species of them need fresh water to survive in a healthy manner. And you have probably noticed that we don’t have a ton of that in the VI 🙂 So, where did he come from? What is he doing here? And how can we help him get home to a healthier habitat?

Thanksgiving Dining Options and Events in Love City

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning! It has been absolutely gorgeous on St. John these past few days. Which makes the upcoming holiday even more meaningful as we have so much to be grateful for! I wanted to share the updated dining and event info for this week once more for those of you who are thankful to be on island this week. Because there is a lot going on over the holiday week and weekend!

Real Estate Spotlight: Rare Opportunity of Three Parcels & Cottage Bordering National Park

November 21, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning, Good Morning! Happy Monday everyone! And Happy Thanksgiving week! Speaking of giving thanks, this absolutely incredible opportunity for home AND land ownership on St. John just hit my desk. And it is surely something to be grateful for. Two and a half acres on three separate parcels, most of which borders the Virgin Islands National Park, with panoramic views AND close proximity to Cruz Bay are currently listed with 340 Real Estate as one bundled package. And there is a charming, renovated cottage and outdoor dining gallery and lounge on site that are move in ready so you can stay while you expand onto the other ready-to-build parcels! This place is such a rare find on St. John. Let’s take a closer look.

“My Virgin Island” Music Video – Produced By Steve Simonsen

November 18, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

Good Morning! And happy Fri-YAY! I have a quick but very uplifting update for all of you before we get into the weekend. Last week, renowned St. John photographer Steve Simonsen reached out to me about a music video project that he has been working on with a young artist who was born in the Virgin Islands. The video he sent me moved me to tears and was so incredibly well produced with beautiful imagery of the people and places of the Virgin Islands that I absolutely had to share it with you all!

The Guided Reef Bay Hike is Back: Sneak Peeks from This Week’s Tour!

November 18, 2022November 17, 2022 by Hillary Bonner

On Monday afternoon I received an email from Paula Smail, Friends of Virgin Islands National Park Outreach Director:

“We are doing a test run on the guided Reef Bay Hike tomorrow and we have room for you if you would like to tag along.”

My answer was YES. Absolutely! For those of you not familiar with this amazing expedition led by Virgin Islands National Park Service Rangers and Friends staffers, it has literally just started again with public tours beginning next week on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is an extremely informative guided hike through some of the tallest trees on island and down the 2.6 mile traverse from Centerline Road to the Reef Bay Sugar Factory with a boat ride back to town as the grand finale. And it was one of the most amazingly informative and entertaining things I have done on St. John (yes, even I learned a lot!).